Spool support for knitting machines



O 1930. s. R. SHELMIRE SPOOL SUPPORT FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec.21, 1929 2 sheets -sheet l i if relatively ,direct path to the yarnfingers PatentedO ctEZ i930 I i f u NITED-STAT'ES STANLEY a. snnmviinnorWIL ING ON, DELA ARE, Assmnon To gunman TRUMP Bites. MACHINE COMPANY, orWILMINGTON, nnnnwnnn, A coarone'rrou or DELAWARE sroon surronci'ronKNITrriNG Mrioninns Application filed December 21, 1929. Serial No. 45,660..

fThisinve ntion relatesto alknittingmechanism and hasparticularreference to a. rack for supporting spools ofyarntobe used bythe machine. The invention is advantageously applied to the mounting ofspools of yarn from which the'wrapping fingers "of ajknittingmechanismare fed.

In using a number of wrapping fingers in a knitting mechanism, it isnecessary to provlde indivldual yarns therefor. Accordlngly,' anyelaborate design requiresthe provision of a larger number ofspools tocarry thevariousyarns. The. racks heretofore K used for this purpose areprovided with pine. pointing inwardly toward the knitting mech anism soas to obtain a rather-direct feed of the yarns from the spools tothefingers. While this latter objectis accomplished, the X arrangementof the. pins makes. it very diffcult to replace the spools and threadthe p v the drawlngs, forthesake of clearness,only

yarns through the guides'to the fingersi It is the primary object of thepresent invention to provide a rack on which the spools may be mountedwith a mimmuminconvenience and furthermore from which the yarns may bereadily threaded through" suitable 'guides to the fingers. More specificobjects offthe invention relate to the provision of guiding meanswhereby the yarns take a andthrough or about which the yarnsmay be veryreadily threaded. Another advan-. tage of the invention resides in theincreased visibility of the spools whereby an operator can readilydetect a spool which is nearly exhausted and must be replaced.

The specific objects of he invention and their accomplishment willbeapparent from i i as the following description read in connection i withthe accompanying drawings in which Fig.1 is a front elevation of aknitting mechanism w1th one of the improved spool racks mounted thereon,the same. being pars f ti fly in section to illustrate :the paths of theyarns Fig. 2 is a plan viewdof the same partly.

broken away;

Figvdis a side view looking in the dire tion of the arrow dinFig. 1; u t

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of thepin supporting plate of the rack;and

PATENT fOF FI -C E'J Fig, 5 is a sectional detail View showin themountingof one ofthe removable gui 7 ,usualfashi0n by means not alug-carrying cylinder 5. These fingers arearranged on a: carrier whichisdesigned to have a shogging movement to bring each finger intoposition. to cooperatewith variousv needles.

Securedto a portion ofthe frame of knitting machine is a brackethavingftwo sidewardly extending arms 6 and 6, on each ofwhieh maybefmounted a spool rack. In

one of these racksis illustrated. Each rack comprises ahorizontal bar 7which is secured to one of the-arms 6 or 6 by means of bolts 8%passingupwardly through; an elongated slot. 10 therein. The provision of thiselongated slot makes-it possible to move the rack forwardly orrearwardly of the knitting machine so that itwillbe out of the way of anoperator as much as possible. For example, ifno yarn. fingers are beingused, the rack is moved to its extreme rear:- wardposition'. If onlyafew yarn fingers areused, the spools'are mounted onthe for- Ward pinsof the rack, whiehmr y be moved slightly forwardly to bring the spoolsthat. are being used opposite the fingers which. they feed. On the otherhand,1if a large number of spools are beinguse'd, therack may be moved.forwardly so asto bring the center of the aggregate number of spoolscarried thereby opposite the knitting [instrumentalitiesi whereby thevarious yarns are arranged so as to have paths-of minimum length. i t yMounted on the bar 7 are suitable support.-

ing brackets which support aplate 12arid to receive spools of yarn sothat they extend upwardly and outwardly relatively to the knittinginstrumentalities. These pins are split in the usual fashion so to formspring prongs relcasably engaging the yarn spools 18. The pins 16 arepreferably arranged in rearwardly extending parallel rows, the pins inadjacent rows being staggered, as will be clear from Fig. 3.

The upright side members 14 releasably carry rearwardly extending rods20, there being preferably one rod for each of the rows of pins, the rodcorresponding to each row being outwardly of and over its row. Extendingbetween the side members above the rods 20 is a spring 22 having thesame number of convolutions as there are pins 16. Inwardly of thisspring are rods 24, 26 and 28 arranged as illustrated and inwardly ofthese rods is a second spring 30 similar to spring 22. A number ofthread guiding holes are provided in a circular disc 32 located directlyabove the wrapping fingers.

The rods 20 may be releasably held in the side members 14 in anysuitable manner, for example, as illustrated in Fig 5, in which pins 34,pressed inwardly by springs 36, are provided with sockets arranged toembrace the ends of the rods 20, the other ends of the rods beingreceived in sockets in the opposite side member 14. Inward movement ofthe pins 34 is limited by transverse pins 38.

It will. be obvious from the above that the replacement of spools ofyarn upon the pins 16 may be very readily effected by removal of therods 20 so as to open up the entire space outwardly and above the pinsto an operator. In replacing the bobbins there is no interference by theoperating parts of a machine. After the spools have been located on thepins, the rods 20 may be replaced individually, for example, theuppermost rod may be put in place and the yarn from each spool in theupper row drawn thereunder, then between convolutions of the spring 22,then alternately under and oyer the rods 24, 26 and 28 betweenconvolutions of spring 30 and through a guide eye in the disc 32 to theproper wrapping finger. After all of the yarns in the top row have thusbeen threaded, the next lower rod may be put into place and the yarnsfrom the second row of spools similarly threaded.

The provision of springs 22 and 30 permits a very simple threading ofthe yarns which are kept separate not only through the springs but alsoin their passage about the rods 24, 26 and 28. which are so arranged asto impart frictional tension upon the yarns suflicient to prevent theirbecoming too loose.

If any one of the spools becomes exhausted before the others in its row,it is only necessary to lift the rod 20 thereabove and replace it by aloaded spool. In this operation 1 there is relatively littledisplacement of the other yarns from spools in the same row. Thereplacement of the rod 20 brings all of these yarns into their properpositions.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting pins at one side ofthe knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto and means for guiding yarns from the spools on saidpins upwardly and then laterally and downwardly to the knittinginstrumentalities.

2. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting pins at one side ofthe' knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto, and means for guiding yarns from the spoolsincluding at least one rod extending transversely over the pins andabout which the yarns may be extended.

3. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting pins at one side ofthe knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelative- 1y thereto, and means for guiding yarns from the spoolsincluding atleast one removable rod extending transversely over the pinsand about which the yarns may be extended.

4. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting pins at one side ofthe knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto and means for guiding yarns from the spools includinga plurality of rods extending transve'rsely over the pins and aboutwhich the yarns may be extended,

5. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, rack including spool supporting pins at one side ofthe knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto and means for guiding yarns from the spools includinga plurality of removable rods extending transversely over the pins andabout which the yarns may be extended.

6. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting pins at one side ofthe knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto, said rack being adjustable in a direction from frontto rear of the knitting instrumentalities, and means for guiding yarnsfrom the spools on said pins upwardly and then laterally and downwardlyto the knitting instrumentalities. V

'Z. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting pins at one sideofthe knitting instrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto and means for guiding yarns from the spools includinga spring between the convolutions of which theyarns may pass.

8. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a

rack including spool supporting pins at one side of the knittinginstrumentalities and eX- tending outwardly and upwardly relativelythereto and means -for guiding'yarns from Y the spools including atleast one rod extending transversely over the pins and a spring abovethe rod whereby a yarn may pass about the rod and thence betweenconvolutions of the spring.

9. In combination with a knitting mecha nism having knittinginstrumentalities, a rack including spool supporting plns at one side ofthe knittlng instrumentalitles and extending outwardly and upwardlyrelatively thereto and means for guiding yarns from the spools includingat least one rod extending transversely over the pins, a spring abovethe rod, and a pluralityoit rods associated with the spring, whereby ayarn may pass about the first rod, between convolutions of the springand thence alternately under and over the rods.

10. In combination with a knitting mech-I anism having knittinginst-rumentalities, a

rack including spool supporting pins at one side of the knittinginstrumentalities and extending outwardly and upwardly relativelythereto and means for guiding yarns from the spools including at leastone rod extending transversely over the pins, a spring above the rod, aplurality of rods associated with the spring, and a secondspring,whereby a yarn may pass about the first rod, between convolutions of thefirst spring and thence alternately under and over the rods and betweenconvolutions of the second spring.

11. In combination with aknitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalit-ies, a rack including spool supporting pins, and ahelical spring between the convolutions of which may be guided yarnsfrom the spools on their way to the knitting instrumentalities. V

12. In combination with a knitting mechanism having knittinginstrumentalities, a

. rack including spool supporting pins,a rod,

and a helical spring extending along and adjacent the rod whereby yarnsmay be guided between the convolutions of the spring and thence incontact with the rod on their way from the spools to the knittinginstrumentalities.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand,atWilmington, Del.,

on this 17th day of December, 1929. a

STANLEYR. SHELMIRE.

